Stories With Traction

SHOW NOTES: SUMMARY: This is part of an FAQ series featuring Michelle Griffin and Matt Zaun , who discuss personal branding and strategic storytelling. Michelle Griffin coaches on authority-focused personal branding to help professionals step out and be seen as leaders in their space. Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and strategic storytelling expert who helps leaders inspire action and drive...

SHOW NOTES: SUMMARY: This is part of an FAQ series featuring Michelle Griffin and Matt Zaun , who discuss personal branding and strategic storytelling. Michelle Griffin coaches on authority-focused personal branding to help professionals step out and be seen as leaders in their space. Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and strategic storytelling expert who helps leaders inspire action and drive...

5-Day Storytelling Challenge Whether you're looking to boost sales, enhance marketing, or captivate audiences in meetings, this challenge is for you. To sign up, go HERE . Habits of Sales Champions Keynote . In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Ian Koniak , founder and CEO of Untap Your Sales Potential , for a raw and powerful conversation about what it truly takes to succeed in business...

SHOW NOTES: SUMMARY: From overcoming personal struggles as a teen mom to leading a successful business, Tami Cole has built a career defined by resilience, determination, and leadership. In this episode, Tami shares her inspiring journey from adversity to entrepreneurship, offering powerful lessons on: ✅ Navigating the challenges of single motherhood while building a career ✅ Transitioning from...

SHOW NOTES Wanna… ✅ Boost your Sales? ✅ Enhance your Marketing? ✅ Create a vibrant company culture? All of that is possible through the power of Strategic Storytelling! Check out the Stories With Traction course , where you’ll learn how to build a StoryBank and strategically utilize stories to achieve your goals. You can find the course HERE . PODCAST SUMMARY In this powerful episode of Stories...

SHOW NOTES Want to boost your sales…without feeling pushy, stressed, or burned out? What if one of the most overlooked sales skills had nothing to do with scripts, pressure, or manipulation… …and everything to do with mindfulness? PODCAST SUMMARY In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with author and mindfulness expert Joy Rains to discuss her book Ignite Your Sales Power a...

Wanna… Boost your Sales? Enhance your Marketing? and create a vibrant company culture? All of that is possible through the power of Strategic Storytelling! Check out the Stories With Traction course , where you’ll learn how to set up a "Storybank" and utilize it to achieve your goals! You can find the course HERE . SHOW NOTES: Want to improve communication inside your organization? Strug...

PODCAST SUMMARY In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with lead generation expert and former journalist Katie Wagner for a powerful conversation about the future of marketing, the growing “crisis of trust” online, and why authentic human connection is becoming the most valuable currency in business. Katie explains why traditional inbound marketing is no longer producing th...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode , Matt Zaun sits down with Jody Grunden to unpack the financial habits, mindset shifts, and forecasting principles that help entrepreneurs build healthier, more scalable businesses. Jody shares his journey from reluctant entrepreneur to building and selling a highly successful virtual CFO firm , along with the lessons he learned the hard way about cash flow, pricing, ri...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode , Matt Zaun sits down with Jen Moss , Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of JAR Podcast Solutions , to unpack what makes a podcast truly effective. Jen shares why podcasting is far more than “just hitting record,” and explains the strategic thinking, creative discipline, and authentic storytelling required to create a show that actually connects. They discuss podcast...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Randy Lyman for a powerful conversation about emotional awareness, leadership, vulnerability, and personal growth. Randy shares how unresolved emotions can quietly shape our decision-making, relationships, and leadership style, and why true strength comes not from suppressing emotions, but from learning how to understa...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Lee Caraher to unpack one of the most important and misunderstood skills in leadership: communication. Lee shares why so many leaders mistakenly assume that because they said something once, their team understood it. She explains why head nods can be misleading, why repetition is essential, and why “they should know th...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode , Matt Zaun sits down with DonJay Rice for a thoughtful and practical conversation about money behaviors, identity, fear, family, and emotional health. DonJay explains that unhealthy money behaviors are rarely just about dollars and cents. They often reveal something deeper: fear, grief, control, guilt, or a misplaced sense of safety and identity. Together, Matt and Don...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Mark Mallchok of Brella for a fascinating conversation about what actually makes an event memorable. Mark shares why great events are about far more than logistics, schedules, and content. He explains how the best events create real human connection, intentional engagement, and unforgettable experiences that people car...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Casey Brown , pricing expert , speaker, and author of Fearless Pricing , to unpack one of the biggest profit leaks in business: discounting too quickly, too deeply, and too often. Casey explains why most pricing decisions are driven by fear, why so many sales teams negotiate against themselves before the customer ever...

SHOW NOTES: For this special 200th episode of Stories With Traction , we’re flipping the script. Instead of Matt Zaun interviewing a guest, GT Freeman of TLC Connections sits down with Matt for a conversation about leadership, communication, and the transformative power of story. Matt shares why storytelling is not just a nice addition to leadership communication; it is one of the most powerful to...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode , Matt Zaun sits down with Jason Kramer of Cultivize to talk about sales process, CRM systems, AI, follow-up, and the costly mistakes companies make when they try to scale without a clear process. Jason shares how businesses can simplify the path from lead to close, reduce wasted time, and create more profitable systems for both sales and customer management. The conver...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Nick Martin of MainStreet IT for a conversation about leadership, customer experience, technology, gratitude, and the realities of building a business from the ground up. Nick shares why so many people dislike working with IT teams, what makes MainStreet IT different, and how great customer experience is built in the m...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Jennifer “Jiff” Chapman for a powerful conversation about transition, identity, healing, self-leadership, and the mindset shifts that help people move from feeling stuck to living with greater clarity and confidence. Jiff shares her personal story of success in corporate sales, the devastating health crisis that change...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with Dave Turano for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, communication, creativity, discipline, and the hidden tensions that shape teams and families. Dave is an executive advisor and situational sounding board for leadership teams, helping companies build more self-directed teams and stronger communicators. From di...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with executive coach, keynoter, author, and Vistage Chair Danielle Baldwin for an honest conversation about inspiration, identity, and fear. Danielle shares how losing titles in her life (mother, daughter, corporate leader, wife) forced her to confront her true identity, and how that journey shaped her work helping CEOs and...

SHOW NOTES: In this powerful and personal episode, Matt Zaun sits down with executive coach, keynote speaker, and author Ken Sher to unpack career disruption, leadership integrity, and the role of trust in long-term success. Ken shares the emotional story of being laid off after 25 years at Johnson & Johnson at 52, with kids in college, and how that devastating season ultimately shaped his car...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun welcomes back Ricardo Gonzalez , founder and CEO of Bilingual America , to dive even deeper into culture, beliefs, values, norms, and the accelerating impact of AI on trust. Ricardo breaks down what culture actually is (beyond the buzzwords and posters), why so many companies don’t have a real culture at all, and how leaders can eith...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Stories With Traction , Matt Zaun sits down with marketing advisor Tim Parkin to unpack what magicians and great marketers have in common: the ability to capture attention, control focus, and follow a repeatable process to create results. Tim shares how a childhood love of magic and an early career in software development led him to a process-driven marketing approac...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with talent agent and founder Monique Sar to unpack what it really takes for executives, founders, and high performers to break into the professional speaking world. Monique represents speakers and influencers, helping them land deals and build speaking careers, and she doesn’t sugarcoat the process. They talk about why your past success in business...